Posts Tagged ‘ivory’

Now, get your mind out of the gutter! This is my story. I have never worn shorts except for running, outdoor park and beach days or hanging around the house. This is relatively new to me, I was initially inspired by a picture that Stephanie of The Loudmouth posted of herself some months back. All of a sudden, it seemed like everyone was wearing shorts but me. Alright, not everyone but it was my perception at the time. I decided to give it a shot.

I first wore them on a date with my hubby, it seemed like a pretty safe way to dip my toes. Next, I wore them to a friend’s party. One thing led to another and next thing you know, I finally did the unthinkable, I wore a pair to work last week. I had attempted the week before and chickened out. Yes, I do that sometimes.

It might come as a surprise that I had to really push myself to do this given that my outfit choices are not particularly conservative. I wear a lot of bright colors and I have tattoos but this was just new to me. I saw it as a way to step outside my comfort zone, something I’m actually comfortable doing. What I mean is that I like the challenge of pushing myself to do something new, something different. There’s a lot of personal growth to gain from taking chances. It’s easy to play it safe, I fall prey to complacency often.

Then I see someone wearing shorts and I’m intrigued and inspired; I know I must push myself repeatedly in this life and step up. It is only through trial and error that we get to realize our potential.

It isn’t the initial fear or hesitation, it isn’t the discomfort that defines us, it’s what we do with it when we experience it. How are you defining yourself?

There’s a song on Paul Simon’s Graceland album called “Further to Fly”. I think of it as my personal anthem. As long as I can dream, as long as the cycle of life continues, there is further to fly. Now I’m wearing shorts with the sass of someone who’s done it all along. You know I’m keeping an eye out for that next challenge. Whether it be sartorial, physical or professional, it will inevitable be very personal.

Won’t you join me?

Send me your photos of how you’re rockin’ the shorts and in two weeks, on Monday, August 15, I will post them and link back to you. My goal is to inspire you to challenge yourself and share with others how you’ve done it. Every time we push ourselves, even doing something as simple as wearing something we don’t typically wear, we grow as individuals. You’re helping me grow, let’s do this together.

I’m calling out to all you lovelies who are already wearing shorts to show us how you do it and I’m calling on those of you who don’t wear shorts to go for it, dip your toes in that water, the temperature is just right. Send me your photos at flyingfabu [at] gmail [dot] com by Friday, August 12, with a little blurb either about your outfit or the experience of wearing the shorts. Let’s make this happen!

You’ve heard me tout the fine art of creating balance and harmony with regards to assembling outfits and accessorizing. In fact, I talked about it a bit a few days ago here. As it turns out, this gal believes there are exceptions.

I’m wearing so many accessories today it should be called “excessorizing!”

I’ve got the whole enchilada going on: an ethnic necklace, a long beaded necklace, long feather earrings, thin woven bracelets and a wooden ring. I supposed I could have added a tiara to really top things off but I don’t have one. Oh, but if I did… So, why would I tell you one thing and do another?

{ style tip: }

It’s still about balance. The blouse I’m wearing is long and flowing with a dark blue pattern over bright orange. The short necklace is really the one you notice, it lays on the open area of the “V”.

The longer beaded necklace almost acts as a trim by following the shape and cut of the front almost perfectly. I used it the way I would a scarf. The long feather earrings blend into my hair and are not very visible. The three woven bracelets are incredibly thin and light, they connect to the wooden ring subtly. If I had short hair and wore a plain lightly colored top, it would be total chaos. Instead, I played with the visual noise to create subtle points of interest.

This is a photo of the wooden ring I wore today which I posted previously on Instagram. Instagram is a totally fun photo capturing and sharing app for iPhones. If you’re already on, let me know so that I can check out your pictures. I’m “flyingfabu”.

If you’re like me sometimes you drop serious cash for an item, other times you don’t. The two most popular philosophies when it comes to parting with our cash go something like this: You choose carefully, opting for quality and longevity over quantity, or you want it all and you want it now, where’s the clearance rack?

That’s all fine and dandy, I’m not one to judge. In fact, you might have already spotted me trying to make my way through the H&M clearance racks snagging ten- and fifteen-dollar items like they’re going out of style. They probably are, but that’s not the point.

The point is, not all cheap things need to look so cheap.

Let’s face it, there are tell-tale signs that immediately put what you’re wearing in the cheap camp. I’m going to help you identify them, then I’ll help you fix them. Let’s start with strings. You know those little bits of string that serve no purpose but seem to be hanging for dear life off the edge of your seam or the hem of your skirt? DON’T PULL! Stop right there, get a small pair of sharp scissors and cut them. Conduct a thorough inspection and remove all of them once and for all. Do this before you ever leave the house in that garment.

Next, check the buttons. Nothing says “bargain” like a bunch of buttons ready to jump ship. Do yourself a favor and invest in small sewing kit. Even a travel kit will do. Secure those cute little things and you’ll be happy for days to come.

So you bought yourself a cute top that came with a fake leather belt that’s cracking and fraying. It’s coming undone before you’ve even worn it. Lose the belt. You probably have a much nicer one in your closet, it’s ok if it’s not the one that came with that top. Really.

That travel sewing kit you just picked up is going to come in really handy when you discover a couple stitches that have come undone. Secure a few stitches on the underside in a matching color and stop the madness of unraveling. In fact, I had to do that to the skirt I’m wearing in the picture above.

Since I’m nit-picking, I’m going to point out a few more things. If your tags have a propensity to make their presence known, lop those puppies off. A seam ripper is my favorite tool to get the job done right. While you’re at it, get rid of those ribbons that help keep your dress on the hanger, too. They’re impossible to manage and tend to become visible just when you’re finally making peace with looking fabulous. Cut them off and get a hanger specifically for that dress. You’ll be much happier not having to fuss with them.

Lastly, pilling. Cheap stuff, expensive stuff, at some point with enough friction and time, it all wants to pill. I know it’s really boring but getting one of those little sweater shavers can bring new life to an old sweater or pair of pants. I found that they work best when tapping the shaver onto the area of the pill gently, over and over again. Going side to side never seems to work as well, it tends to flatten the pills.

There you have it. You made your bargain bin treasure look better and you look well put-together. Now go out there and conquer the world, beautiful!

If you’ve got additional tips or can improve upon any of the above, do share!

A sophomore attempt

I have a confession to make. I have never before in my life dressed up a pair of shorts. Not until last month, anyway. After seeing Stephanie of The Loudmouth and her friend Bryn rock the shorts in Vegas, I knew I had to try it. I dipped my toes, so to speak, at my friend’s birthday party knowing I was in a safe place should things start feeling awkward. As it turns out everything worked out just fine. I’m always amazed at how trying something new can feel so daunting.

I figured if I could pull it off once, I can pull off again.

I picked up these litte babies a few weeks ago, the eyelets and the fact that they’re made of organic cotton did me in. I had a vision of wearing them out on a date. We were invited to a tequila tasting in San Francisco on Saturday, which we followed up with dinner at a new restaurant. It was a fairly warm late afternoon and I had my coat with me. For those of you who don’t know San Francisco’s weather, it rarely gets hot and often gets chilly in the evenings, hence the precautionary coat. My outfit was incredibly comfortable—of course it was—I was wearing shorts! I was even complimented which is always a nice treat.

The gold tights are very shimmery

We tasted about six brands of tequila; starting with blanco, continuing with reposado and finishing with añejo. If they offered a special reserve of some sort we tasted those also at the end. The concept behind tasting the blanco first is that it’s still young and the forward flavor is representative of what will be the foundation which carries into the more aged reposado and añejo. If you don’t like the blanco at all, it’s likely that you won’t enjoy the more aged tequila of that harvest either.

And you thought this blog was just about fashion.

This is what happens when you’re married to a man who knows his spirits. A little is bound to rub off. My favorite tequila of the night was the Casa 7 Leguas. As much fun as it was to taste tequila there was only so much stimulation my palate could handle before calling it quits. As you can imagine, we had a lovely time.

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Go for it! Be adventurous and daring, try something new! If it feels daunting, give it a trial run when visiting close friends just like I did. You’ll be more comfortable and should there be a wardrobe malfunction you can all have a good laugh.

Lilac details and dragonfly necklace

Matching the lilac pansies in my garden

I recently went thrifting. I’ve been on a mission to recreate an outfit based on a DKNY outfit I saw last week. As a personal challenge, I want to do it from thrifted items. So far, I have a shirt and blazer along with all kinds of additional unrelated pieces, such as this lilac cashmere pullover sweater. It’s soft and lovely and so light and perfect. I have a particular fondness for cashmere.

The steampunk-inspired dragonfly necklace is another anniversary gift from my hubby. I guess seven years gets you two gifts. I like that.

{ latest obsession: }

I’ve been asked to participate in a Pinterest feature through the end of the month as one of many style bloggers who’ve recently discovered and fallen in love with it. Pinterest is your personal online pinboard. Simple. You see an image of something you like, you “pin” it. The application captures the image and url, you save it into your “board”.

Take the concept of tearing an image out of a magazine and pinning it to a cork board. On the internet. You can organize, categorize, share, tag, comment; it’s full of the social networking features that most of us are familiar with. You can share your boards and see others’. You will be hooked.

I discovered it recently when I saw a tweet mentioning it. I checked it out and have been using it ever since. In fact, it’s what I used to capture images for my post about the five trends I was looking forward to this spring. I’ve also started pinning ideas for DIY’s along with ideas for my living space and places I want to travel to.

Here’s the coolest part.

I’ve been invited to solicit comments from you, my readers, about how you would choose to use it and to let me know if you’re interested in signing up. I have been offered fifteen invitations to pass along.

Check out how I’m using it.

My dashboard, showing a few boards

Some of my pins

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Don’t be afraid to mix and match unusual colors together. The lilac sweater and ochre yellow belt are not your typical combination but made a beautiful pair. If you feel reticent to try this, start small with a scarf or a belt.

Posing next to the lamb’s ear

You might have noticed that my fingernails are polished. This is a sign that I consciously chose to do nothing but thumb through the beast that is the March issue of Vogue for an hour on Sunday morning. While my beautiful orange nails dried I mapped out a day of much needed relaxation. I then proceeded to find my husband in the garden pulling weeds out of our little flower bed. So much for doing nothing.

Warm enough for bare arms

One hour later: I’ve dirt under my orange fingernails and have pulled at a tenacious rogue mint with so much gusto that I’ve slammed my hand agains the retaining wall. The thumbnail is scratched, another is scuffed. At times, I pine for a lifestyle that would allow my nails two, perhaps three days of intact existence. I seem to be too busy busting through life to achieve this.

Did I mention how much fun it was to pull weeds and talk about what kind of ground cover we should plant between the pansies that uncannily thrived and multiplied over winter? So much fun that we followed it up with an hour and a half hike.

Dainty details

{ style tip: }

When it’s too hot to wear tights but too early in the spring to bare your legs the daintiest of solutions lie in pastel fishnets. They not only add a hint of texture but do a wonderful job covering up the fact that your legs are not ready for summer. These were especially adorable adorned with hearts. Find a shade either slightly lighter or darker than your skin tone for a hint of contrast.

What do you do to prepare your legs for summer, do you have any particular routine or preparation? Do you get more exercise? Use tanners, or the old-fashioned sun?

Lace on lace over tights

Coffee and wine, oh my!

Not one of my finer creations

Feeling a little bit country

Schoolhouse rock

Ruffles ahoy!

This won’t be the first time I’m demonstrated my finer ability to count. I just realized that I never got around to wearing item 30. Technically, what we have hear, folks, is a 29 for 29. Since I’m probably the last living remixer at this point, for the sake of just gettin’ it done, I’m calling it a done deal. It’s been fun but I’m ready to chronically repeat again. And wear some new things, too!

It was a little quiet this weekend because I joined some fine ladies in Las Vegas for Style Nation 2011. It was very exciting! Typically, I’d be snowboarding but what’s life when it’s always predictable? The lovely Loudmouth has elaborated a little on the company we’re keeping. Don’t worry, there will be a full report shortly.

The Wall at Kirkwood. Our favorite run of the day

A couple days ago it dawned on me that although my commenting system was greatly improved since my move from Blogger to WordPress, it was still missing a crucial element. I had been taking the time to reply to many of the comments left by you for naught. Without a reply notification plug-in, you would never know I had done so. On one hand, it seemed so trivial, on the other, it was a glaringly obvious how much more I had to learn.

I reflected on the fact that it was barely six months ago when I thought starting a blog would be fun. Well, it’s been a lot of fun. And it’s been a lot of hard work. Blogging is not limited to experts only, fortunately, there are some wonderful souls out there who have taken the care and time to share their experiences and knowledge base with the rest of us.

Birds making a pleasant commotion on day 22 of the 30 for 30 remix challenge.

Without them, this blog would not be what it is today. My success here and anywhere else, is and always has been, the result of collaboration and support. I would like to share a few of the resources I turned to in the past few months. By no means is this list complete, it’s merely a sampling of the information out there. If you’re already blogging, or are thinking of starting, check out some of these links. I have relied on the first seven at different times, the rest I think you might find useful.

While I couldn’t remember the original site I turned to for grammatical assistance, I did find this one which is equally helpful. You may be the smartest cookie around but if you are misspelling regularly and don’t have the basics of English grammar down, your readers are going to think you’re dumb. Or worse yet, that you just don’t care. Like I said, blogging is fun but it’s also hard work.

Last but not least, last week I wrote about the correlation between your blog and branding. It’s a topic I’ve reflected upon on this journey and believe it’s good food for thought. While I may still have a long way to go, I’m confident that I’m headed in the right direction. I’m enjoying the journey and hope you are, too.

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About me

I'm a passionate style blogger with a penchant for color, a love of details and a desire for comfort. I believe you can look good on any budget. Perpetuating positive body image is dear to me, my wish is to inspire you the same way that I've been inspired by others. Hope you enjoy the diversity of my musings.